Kyoto Animation Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 株式会社京都アニメーション, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Kyōto Animēshon), often abbreviated KyoAni (京アニ, Kyōani), is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1985 by husband and wife Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who remain its president and vice-president respectively.
Kyoto Animation's head office, studio 2Kyoto Animation's first studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, prior to the 2019 arson attack
Kyoto Animation was co-founded in 1985 by married couple Yoko and Hideaki Hatta; it became a limited company in 1985 and a corporation in 1999.[5] Yoko Hatta, who serves as the company's vice president, had worked as a painter at Mushi Production until she moved to Kyoto after marrying her husband, who serves as president.[6] The company's logo originates from the kanjikyō (京), the first character of Kyoto (京都).[7]
Since 2009, Kyoto Animation has hosted the annual Kyoto Animation Awards in three categories: original novels, manga, and scenarios. Some winning submissions are published under the company's KA Esuma Bunko imprint, and have a chance of being later adapted as anime.[8]Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Free!, Beyond the Boundary and Myriad Colors Phantom World were based on novels that received an honorable mention in this competition.[8][9][10] In 2014, the novel Violet Evergarden became the first and only work so far to win a grand prize in any of the three categories.[11]
Kyoto Animation has become recognized for its high production values and "sensitivity to the wonders and quandaries of ordinary life".[12] Unlike most animation studios, the company's employees are salaried rather than freelance workers, and are trained in-house.[13] These practices have been cited as encouraging employees to focus on frame quality rather than production quotas.[14][15] The company has received praise for the positive treatment of its staff, and was honored by Women in Animation with its Diversity Award in 2020 for its efforts in creating a gender-balanced workforce and encouraging women to enter the industry.[16]
In April 2020, the company announced that it would put its work on hiatus for one month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, later extending the period to the end of May.[17]
Animation Do
An affiliate company, Animation Do Co., Ltd. (株式会社アニメーションドゥウ, Kabushiki-gaisha Animēshon Dū), was established in 2000 to assist production at Kyoto Animation.[4] Originally established as the studio's Osaka office, it was incorporated as a limited company in 2000, then a corporation in 2010. Both companies are run by Hideaki Hatta and are run jointly as one. They produce up-and-coming works under the Animation Do label with Kyoto Animation as their main contractor and works where they work as one company alongside Kyoto Animation. They work on most Kyoto Animation projects and many of them have joint signatures. On September 16, 2020, it was announced by the National Printing Bureau's Kanpō publication that Kyoto Animation absorbed Animation Do, which includes all rights and associated properties.[18]
On the morning of July 18, 2019, an arson fire at Kyoto Animation's first studio in Fushimi killed 36 people (including directors Yasuhiro Takemoto and Yoshiji Kigami),[19][20] injured 34 others (including the suspect) in varying degrees, and destroyed most of the building's materials and computers. The suspect, 41-year-old Shinji Aoba,[21] later admitted to committing the attack.[22]
Productions
In the tables below, only the productions for which Kyoto Animation was a lead producer are listed.
^An extra episode of Clannad aired on March 28, 2008.[32] An original video animation (OVA) episode was released on July 16, 2008.[33]
^An extra episode of Clannad After Story aired on March 20, 2009, and a summary episode aired on March 27, 2009. An original video animation (OVA) episode was released on July 1, 2009.[35]
^An extra episode of K-On! aired on June 26, 2009. An original video animation (OVA) episode was released on January 20, 2010.[39]
^Two extra episodes of K-On!! aired on September 22 and 29, 2010. An original video animation (OVA) episode was released on March 16, 2011.[41]
^An original video animation (OVA) episode of Free! Dive to the Future was screened at an event on June 23, 2018, and released on September 26, 2018.[68]
^Despite the Production Assistance credit, Gakken (a publishing company) is the only company credited with a higher credit (製作; Production), indicating KyoAni's involvement as the OVA's animation studio.
References
^拠点案内 [Office Locations]. KyotoAnimation.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
^会社概要 [Company Profile] (in Japanese). KyotoAnimation.co.jp. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
^"Outline". KyotoAnimation.co.jp. 2004. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
^ ab会社情報 [Company Information]. AnimationDo.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
^劇場版 境界の彼方 I'LL BE HERE 過去篇 [Beyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here – Past]. Eiga.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
^劇場版 境界の彼方 I'LL BE HERE 未来篇 [Beyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here – Future]. Eiga.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
